Our Team
Meet Our Team of Visionary Minds
Hans-Christian Lüdemann
CEO and Founder
Hans developed Meniscense's technology and founded the company in 2014.
Before founding Meniscense, Hans worked as a risk consultant to large institutional investors and developed custom instrumentation in the Process Technology group at Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA.
Earlier in his career, Hans was a Research Fellow at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and worked on mass spectrometry instrumentation and applications at the Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics of the University of Münster in Germany.
Hans holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Münster and an MBA from Babson College.
Rita Vicaire
Application Development
Rita has 20 years of experience as a bench scientist and liquid handling specialist in life science laboratories. Since 2007, Rita has operated The Robot Whisperer, LLC, a liquid handling automation consultancy she founded. Prior to that, she was a Lab Automation Manager at Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA and a Field Automation Specialist for Tecan.
In her practice at The Robot Whisperer, Rita supports big pharma as well as biotech and diagnostics companies in the transfer of assays onto automated liquid handlers of various manufacturers, in the subsequent verification of the performance of these liquid handlers, as well as configuration, troubleshooting and maintenance of liquid handling equipment.
Rita holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Worcester State University.
Joe Pisano
Lead Engineer and Data Scientist
Joe Pisano serves as Lead Engineer and Data Scientist at Meniscense, where he drives innovation across a wide range of disciplines—including optics, electronics, robotics, software engineering, and machine learning. He is architecting full-stack solutions to transform how the life sciences measure and understand liquid volumes.
With over 30 years of experience, Joe is a highly accomplished technology leader recognized for his deep expertise in data pipelines, software development, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and systems integration. Throughout his career, he has consistently architected and implemented cutting-edge systems that push the boundaries of what’s possible in scientific and industrial applications.
Joe brings not only technical excellence but also strong project management capabilities and a strategic mindset. His skills in signal processing, exploratory data analysis, and system architecture make him a vital force in multidisciplinary product development. What sets Joe apart is his passion for using technology to solve real-world problems—bringing clarity, efficiency, and innovation to complex challenges.
Cody Wold
Assembly Engineer,
Manufacturing and Service Lead
Cody Wold has stepped into the role as Assembly Engineer, Manufacturing and Service Lead at Meniscense, where he brings a strong track record of bridging the gap between service excellence and manufacturing precision.
Prior to joining Meniscense, Cody spent over two years at Mettler-Toledo Rainin, which followed two and a half years at Avidien Technologies. In both roles, he refined his expertise in instrument service, assembly processes, and manufacturing operations, consistently delivering results that aligned with the highest standards of quality and performance.
Cody’s greatest strengths lie in his ability to seamlessly integrate hands-on technical skills with a customer-centric mindset. Whether leading a build of instruments, troubleshooting a complex system, or supporting a service request, Cody ensures that every touchpoint reflects a commitment to innovation, reliability, and customer satisfaction. His work is defined not only by technical excellence, but by a collaborative approach that builds lasting relationships across teams and with clients.
Andrew Langlois
Director of Sales and Marketing,
Customer Success
Andrew brings over 25 years of diverse expertise in sales, marketing, and operations to our team. With a background that includes serving as the COO of an industry leading distribution company and most recently as the Director of Sales and Marketing at Avidien Technologies, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer in the life science tools sector, Andrew has demonstrated a keen tactical vision and a track record of driving early stage growth. His strategic leadership significantly contributed to the successful acquisition of Avidien Technologies by Mettler-Toledo Rainin in November 2022. Andrew’s wealth of experience and industry knowledge make him a valuable addition to our organization.
Hugh Douglas
Advisor
Hugh has 35 years of experience in Operations and Business Development roles in the research tools space, including C-level roles. He has worked at Hoefer Scientific, Pharmacia, and Amersham Biosciences. Most recently, he was COO and Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances at BioCision. He is the President of Bridge4Bio.
Hugh holds an MBA from Golden Gate University, and a BS from UC Berkeley.
Andy Zaayenga
Advisor
Andy has been involved in laboratory automation and robotics since 1989, as an engineer at Zymark, Founder & CEO of TekCel, Director of Tecan-REMP; and Vice President of Business Development at HighRes Biosolutions. Presently he is Managing Director of SmarterLab, a consultancy for laboratory automation in biospecimen science and drug discovery.
Andy is Executive Chair of the Laboratory Research & Innovation Group (LRIG) and was Regional Ambassador, Americas and Past President and Past Board Director of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). He served as Board Director of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS), and is a past Board Director and past Scientific Program Chair of the Association for Laboratory Automation (ALA) and a past Board Director of the Society for Biomolecular Sciences (SBS), both predecessors of SLAS. Andy is a member of the Public Population Project in Genomics (P3G), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biospecimens Interest Group, and Standardisation in Lab Automation (SiLA).
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